u/_Gaius_Octavius

Female shubunkin with nose ulcer after suspected spawning injury, Day 5 of medicated food

Looking for advice from experienced koi/goldfish pond keepers.

I have a large female shubunkin, roughly 9 inches / 23 cm, with a nose ulcer/abrasion. She is still swimming normally and eating aggressively. I’m currently on Day 5 of feeding Koi Pharma Bacterial Control medicated food, and she is eating it very well.

A few days ago, I lost a female white koi that had a similar ulcer issue. Her ulcer lasted for weeks, but at the time I did not have medicated food available. I was only doing water changes and regular pond maintenance. Looking back, I think I may have caught her too late, and I probably should have treated her earlier while she was still eating.

This shubunkin seems different because I started treatment earlier, while she still has appetite and normal behavior.

The pond is about 900 gallons / 3,400 liters. I have a waterfall, two air diffusers connected to an aerator, UV light, clean filters, and regular pond maintenance. My pond guy came yesterday and did a deep water change. I also added a double dose of API Pond Stress Coat afterward for slime coat and skin/wound support. I use beneficial bacteria weekly.

I do not see flashing, rubbing, clamped fins, gasping, or abnormal behavior from the fish.

My main theory is that this may have started as a spawning injury. Both affected fish were female, and I know females can get chased, bumped, scraped, or pushed into rocks/netting/pond edges during spawning. I’m not saying I know for sure, but that seems like a possible cause.

I also want to be honest: I don’t really have the time or setup right now to remove the fish, sedate/treat the wound directly, quarantine, and do a full hands-on treatment. That’s why the medicated food is the easiest and most realistic option for me right now, especially because she is still eating aggressively. I also don’t want to treat the entire pond with stronger pond-wide medication unless it’s truly necessary.

Current plan:

Finish the full 12–14 day Koi Pharma medicated food course.

Keep water quality stable.

Keep aeration strong.

Avoid stressing or netting her unless absolutely necessary.

Monitor the wound closely with photos.

Questions:

Does this look like a surface ulcer/abrasion that is still treatable?

Does medicated food plus clean water seem reasonable since she is still eating well?

Would you suspect spawning trauma based on the location and history?

What signs should I watch for that would mean the food is not enough?

I’m trying not to over-treat the pond or stack too many products. She is still eating aggressively and acting normal, so I’m hoping this is a good sign.

Female shubunkin with nose ulcer after suspected spawning injury, Day 5 of medicated food

Looking for advice from experienced koi/goldfish pond keepers.

I have a large female shubunkin, roughly 9 inches / 23 cm, with a nose ulcer/abrasion. She is still swimming normally and eating aggressively. I’m currently on Day 5 of feeding Koi Pharma Bacterial Control medicated food, and she is eating it very well.

A few days ago, I lost a female white koi that had a similar ulcer issue. Her ulcer lasted for weeks, but at the time I did not have medicated food available. I was only doing water changes and regular pond maintenance. Looking back, I think I may have caught her too late, and I probably should have treated her earlier while she was still eating.

This shubunkin seems different because I started treatment earlier, while she still has appetite and normal behavior.

The pond is about 900 gallons / 3,400 liters. I have a waterfall, two air diffusers connected to an aerator, UV light, clean filters, and regular pond maintenance. My pond guy came yesterday and did a deep water change. I also added a double dose of API Pond Stress Coat afterward for slime coat and skin/wound support. I use beneficial bacteria weekly.

I do not see flashing, rubbing, clamped fins, gasping, or abnormal behavior from the fish.

My main theory is that this may have started as a spawning injury. Both affected fish were female, and I know females can get chased, bumped, scraped, or pushed into rocks/netting/pond edges during spawning. I’m not saying I know for sure, but that seems like a possible cause.

I also want to be honest: I don’t really have the time or setup right now to remove the fish, sedate/treat the wound directly, quarantine, and do a full hands-on treatment. That’s why the medicated food is the easiest and most realistic option for me right now, especially because she is still eating aggressively. I also don’t want to treat the entire pond with stronger pond-wide medication unless it’s truly necessary.

Current plan:

Finish the full 12–14 day Koi Pharma medicated food course.

Keep water quality stable.

Keep aeration strong.

Avoid stressing or netting her unless absolutely necessary.

Monitor the wound closely with photos.

Questions:

Does this look like a surface ulcer/abrasion that is still treatable?

Does medicated food plus clean water seem reasonable since she is still eating well?

Would you suspect spawning trauma based on the location and history?

What signs should I watch for that would mean the food is not enough?

I’m trying not to over-treat the pond or stack too many products. She is still eating aggressively and acting normal, so I’m hoping this is a good sign.

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask if anyone here has experience with these Koi Pharma products:

Koi Pharma Koi Defender

Koi Pharma Bacterial Control Koi Food

Koi Pharma Pure Year-Round Bacteria Pro

I recently lost a white koi after what appeared to start as a spawning-related nose injury. At first, it seemed like a minor scrape from spawning activity, but it eventually developed into an ulcer and the fish passed away.

I wasn’t trying to remove the fish from the pond unless absolutely necessary, since I know catching and handling koi can add stress, especially when they are already injured. But looking back, I’m trying to learn what I could have done differently and whether supportive products like these are actually helpful in a real pond setting.

For anyone who has used these:

Do they actually help reduce bacterial issues in the pond?

Is the Koi Defender worth using preventatively?

Has anyone had success with the Bacterial Control Koi Food for sores, ulcers, fin/tail issues, or redness?

Is the Pure Year-Round Bacteria Pro a good beneficial bacteria product, or is it mostly just a water-clarity product?

For context, my pond is about 900 gallons with koi and goldfish, UV, waterfall, aeration, and regular maintenance.

I’m not looking to replace proper water testing, quarantine, or vet-level treatment when needed. I’m just trying to understand whether these products are genuinely useful as part of a prevention/support routine, or if people here would recommend something else.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask if anyone here has experience with these Koi Pharma products:

Koi Pharma Koi Defender

Koi Pharma Bacterial Control Koi Food

Koi Pharma Pure Year-Round Bacteria Pro

I recently lost a white koi after what appeared to start as a spawning-related nose injury. At first, it seemed like a minor scrape from spawning activity, but it eventually developed into an ulcer and the fish passed away.

I wasn’t trying to remove the fish from the pond unless absolutely necessary, since I know catching and handling koi can add stress, especially when they are already injured. But looking back, I’m trying to learn what I could have done differently and whether supportive products like these are actually helpful in a real pond setting.

For anyone who has used these:

Do they actually help reduce bacterial issues in the pond?

Is the Koi Defender worth using preventatively?

Has anyone had success with the Bacterial Control Koi Food for sores, ulcers, fin/tail issues, or redness?

Is the Pure Year-Round Bacteria Pro a good beneficial bacteria product, or is it mostly just a water-clarity product?

For context, my pond is about 900 gallons with koi and goldfish, UV, waterfall, aeration, and regular maintenance.

I’m not looking to replace proper water testing, quarantine, or vet-level treatment when needed. I’m just trying to understand whether these products are genuinely useful as part of a prevention/support routine, or if people here would recommend something else.

Thanks in advance.

I have a ~900 gallon koi pond with a skimmer, waterfall, mechanical filter pads, UV, and strong aeration from the waterfall plus two diffusers.

Today I planted a Chalily water lily in a mesh aquatic basket using Aquascape Pond Plant Potting Media. I added one aquatic fertilizer tablet deep in the media, topped the basket with pebbles, and slowly placed it in the pond.

The problem is that the mesh basket seems to have allowed a lot of fine planting media/dust to escape, and it turned the whole pond brown/muddy. It has been brown for about 2 hours now.

The koi are not gasping right now, and the pump, waterfall, filter, UV, and aeration are all running.

Questions:

• Is this dangerous for koi, or is it mostly suspended sediment?

• Will this clear through the filter pads and settling, or should I remove the basket?

• Should I leave it alone overnight or pull it out and repot it in a tighter container?

• Has anyone had Aquascape pond plant media cloud the water like this when used in a mesh basket?

• What would you do tonight versus tomorrow morning?

I’m mainly worried about fish safety and whether the sediment will clear or keep leaking from the basket.